News-Record.com

Typically, fewer people know or care these days who the newest Miss USA is.

And in the scheme of things of things, that's understandable.

The economy is teetering, pirates are at large and even before that so-called "reality" TV had stolen most of whatever allure remained from these old-fashioned, bathing-suits-and-heels affairs.

This year there are two reasons folks around here may be paying more attention:

-- Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton, won.
-- Part of the reason she may have won was a prickly question about gay marriage posed to the runner-up, Miss California, by a judge, Perez Hilton, who is openly gay:

Miss California, Carrie Prejean's, answer: "I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman ... that's how I was raised."

That's hardly a mean answer, nor is it any different from how a lot of people feel.

Of course, I disagree, especially with people who equate gay marriage with an attack on heterosexual marriage. I have always found the arguments that gay marriage somehow threatens the sanctity of heterosexual marriage illogical and, well, just plain dumb.

I'm not aware of even one heterosexual divorce or out-of-wedlock birth that is attributable to gays having the opportunity to marry.

But people are entitled to her beliefs and Prejean gave a presumably honest answer on how she feels. Why penalize her for saying essentially the same thing Barack Obama said about gay marriage while on the campaign trail?

Meanwhile, the man behind the pageant, Donald Trump, seems as pleased with the firestorm as Hilton, who is reveling in the publicity.

Somebody's paying attention now.